The present invention relates generally to computer-aided learning methods and systems and more particularly to remotely allowing a student to select an instructor to learn a subject through a computer.
We are living in a global environment where we need to learn to work with people from different parts of the world to get things done. Just using a computer as an example, it is not uncommon that its printed circuit boards are fabricated in Taiwan; monitors are manufactured in Japan; application programs are written in India; and the final products--the computers--are sold in the United States.
The penetration of the World Wide Web (Web) to almost all sectors of the society has further enhanced this global aspects. It will not be long that more products will be sold and more services rendered on the Web than on many other distribution channels.
The global market has significantly increased the value of information, which might have become one of the most important global commodities. We need to learn from and to work with people from other parts of the world.
One of the best ways to learn from and to work with someone is to speak their language and to understand their culture. It would make the process much smoother and more productive. This implies that we should learn foreign languages. However, identifying the right instructor to learn a different language is not an easy task.
In China, the need to learn English is phenomenal, especially for the younger generation. They know that English is one of the, if not the, most important languages to learn. Being proficient in English will open many doors for them. A language tutoring class with a Caucasian instructor can automatically charge a premium because the perception is that a Caucasian is a better English teacher.
Though the best instructor to teach a foreign language may be a person whose mother tongue is that language, typically, such person does not live in your neighborhood. For example, compared to the huge population in China, there are very few instructors with English as their native language living in China. The major English-speaking population is concentrated thousands of miles away. The need is high, but the supply is very low.
It should be apparent from the foregoing that there is a need for a medium that would bring large number of English-speaking instructors to the even larger number of students thousands of miles away, and to help match them together.